Lust and Sexual Attraction
Jul 30, 2007 Uncategorized
.:mood:. Thinking
.:itunes:. Whiskey Lullaby by Brad Paisley Feat. Alison Krauss
OK, this is from an interesting blog I keep up with called Faith Dance. Read this quote (from Lewis Smedes), formulate your opinion on it, then read the rest of the article. Let me know what you think in the comments.
I’ll post my thoughts later…
“Eros, the longing for personal fulfillment, must not be confused with lust, the untamed desire for another’s body. Nor is every feeling of attraction toward an exciting person the spark of lust. It would odd indeed if the Creator put attractive people in the world and forbade us to notice them. But there is a difference between the awareness of someone’s sexual attractions and being dominated by a desire for that person’s body.”
July 30th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
What I know of “lust” is that its an emotion not limited to sexual motives nor hormonal drives. While “eros” is normally associated with erotic but means sexual. I do feel that Jonathan’s emotion for David was beyond brotherhood; I would not call it sexual under any circumstance it was “agape”.
While “storge” is discribed as parental love I feel it is obligatory and the love that should last if there isn’t some magical “agape” or hormonal “eros”. The modern psychological equivalent should be unfailing “consummate love”.
Glaring at someone and noticing them are different, and not glaring at them is going to make them less noticeable on a relative scale. On campus I spend many of my prayers for women that are dressed scantly.
While I could not imagine confessing love for a woman and that changing I’ve had my heart and trust broken time and time again. I am weak and that’s part of the reason I feel the need to pray for those college women. Blah; I’ll have to read that article after my final tomorrow.
July 30th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
I guess I was willing to consider the question as stated above, but once I read the article something jumped out at me:
July 31st, 2007 at 7:39 am
This is the first I’ve seen, heard, or read of this author, so I’m only reacting to this one article. There’s too many weak arguments and contradictions here for me to get a sense that I should take these thoughts seriously.
Expert opinion (my wife) tells me that he’s got it totally wrong to talk about women and wives experiencing these issues the same as men and husbands. In fact, just last night we were talking about the very subject in the opening paragraph you quoted; she was quizzing me in preparation for a women’s small group she’s leading this morning (the only question I think I may not have answered exactly correctly was “well, what if I were fat and ugly?”). At no point in our conversation did we uncover anything that would lend credence to some of the assertions in this article.
What both of us did find surprising is that men and women intuitively know very, very little about how the other views one’s own sexuality and how God wired them to behave and react. Bottom line realization is that it’s normal for a man to notice an attractive woman and that that in itself is not an indication of a troubled marriage or of a husband that doesn’t deeply love his wife. However, I think we both would consider it an absurd leap, giving this as a starting point, to arrive at some of the things this author is saying.
August 1st, 2007 at 9:52 pm
After reading the full article, I have to say, I don’t agree with Smedes. At all.
I agree with the second commenter on this one.
August 2nd, 2007 at 1:41 pm
I think I passed both Psyc and Soc this semester. I’m ashamed that I haven’t been spending the hour a day reading the bible these last weeks. I can tell you that I haven’t slipped back into popular culture enough to mistake the new world definitional of “lust” for the truth that I am not innocent nor righteous on my own accord. In Christ I wouldn’t and can’t gaze at some woman’s nakedness.
The blog quotes the subject as “But it is equally possible that we have allowed the Lord’s spiritualizing of adultery to put a load of guilt on innocent consciences.” I can not find any biblical logic in that quote; I won’t justify my own behavior by popular culture’s condition. But it is equally possible that we have allowed the Lord’s spiritualizing of adultery to put a load of guilt on innocent consciences.”
At the same time I was recently moved by “… therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall” Hosea 4:14 KJV I must understand that someone who would justify their behavior as in that blog is stuck in the context of the world. I know the logs in my eyes are still burning in the Grace by Christ. i hope to get much more insight with your comment Noel.
August 6th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
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Wellbutrin….
Wellbutrin side effects. Mixing wellbutrin and marijana. Wellbutrin weaning off. Wellbutrin….